1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pipe fixing device and, more particularly, to a pipe fixing device which is used to fix a plurality of pipes arranged to cross each other.
2. Description of the Related Art
Appliances, such as air conditioners, refrigerators, etc., are often provided with pipes for conducting liquid or gas.
In general, such pipes are mounted inside a casing so that they connect a compressor and a heat exchanger. They also connect solenoid valves, capillary tubes, etc. to each other, which are used to guide a stream of coolant into the compressor and the heat exchanger or adjust a flow rate of the coolant. As driving of the compressor may give rise to collision between the pipes, and these pipes are welded to various devices, vibration of the pipes can disadvantageously apply an impact to welded portions, resulting in a possibility of cracks at the welded portions.
Taking into account the above problem, a pipe fixing member, which is attached to one side of a casing and is adapted to fix pipes, has been disclosed in the prior art, but this existing pipe fixing member is troublesome and complex in overall installation thereof. As an alternative solution, a fixing member for coupling a plurality of pipes has been developed. The fixing member, however, also has a problem in that its application range is limited to fix pipes arranged in parallel inside a casing, and thus it cannot fix pipes arranged to cross each other. For this reason, there still exists a need to develop a fixing member for stably and securely fixing pipes arranged to cross each other.